Watch The Cardinal For Free

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Good concept, poorly executed.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

In the book "Growing Up Catholic," there's a section on "Father What- A-Waste," the good-looking priest in the parish who set hearts aflutter. I'd say Tom Tryon fit into that category.Directed by Otto Preminger, "The Cardinal," starring Tom Tryon in the eponymous role, is a long, somewhat dated film, given what we know about the behavior of some priests today. Here's a guy not sure he can continue being a priest because of celibacy, and little did he know that about 50% aren't and are priests anyway.Other actors in the film include John Huston, Burgess Meredith, Bill Hayes, John Saxon, Dorothy Gish, and Maggie McNamara.Tryon plays Stephen Fermoyle, a man from Boston at the turn of the century whose family has always assumed he would go into the priesthood. After finishing his studies in Rome, he returns to America. He's a good man, and an ambitious one, but it's a quiet ambition. He isn't capable of crushing others. In Boston, he helps others, but he runs into problems in his own family when his sister (Carol Lynley) leaves home and becomes pregnant. Stephen has to then make a tough decision, and an agonizing one. In Austria, he questions his vocation and takes a leave of absence. He meets a beautiful, vivacious woman (Romy Schneider) with whom he falls in love. But the priesthood wins.Along the way to Cardinal, he is surprised by the Church's refusal to become involved with a racially-charged issue in a diocese in Georgia. He becomes involved anyway. Finally, in Austria, he becomes involved in the Church's attitude toward the Third Reich. Unfortunately the film is neither intense or compelling, moves too slowly, and goes on too long. There are some strong scenes at the end, though. The acting is fine. Tryon would eventually leave acting and become a successful writer before dying of cancer at the age of 65.Lots of familiar faces and a beautiful production.

First off, I have to point out that I have never read the novel from which this film was based, so I can't really say much about how the two compare. Second, I am not Catholic and I assume Catholics might feel a bit differently about this film. As for me, I was fascinated by having this glimpse into a very atypical sort of priest--but one that was easy to like and admire.Handsome Tom Tryon stars as the title character. When the film begins, he's reminiscing about his life--from his early days in the priesthood to the present (in pre-WWII Italy) as he's about to be elevated to Cardinal--the second highest office in the church. As for his life, despite his elevated position, he's far from a perfect man--he's made some mistakes, had some doubts and had a rather ecumenical view of religion that probably ruffled a few feathers. The path from start to finish is very long and slowly unveils--but at about three hours the film did NOT seem plodding or overly long.About the only thing I disliked about the film is that you might get the impression that the Church was much stronger in its condemnation of Fascism--something some did but many, many more did not. Still, well-written, acted and directed--this one is worth seeing.

TOM TRYON has the central role in Otto Preminger's majestic looking film version of THE CARDINAL, but he's one of those handsome actors with an impassive face whose emotions never come to the surface. Instead, we get a hint of what he might be thinking without any real clue. And since the film is all about the moral and personal issues facing him as he enters the College of Cardinals, an actor with more emotional capabilities would have been more impressive.The other flaw is the three hour length for a film in which the story is simply not that compelling. Furthermore, director Preminger has chosen to direct whole scenes at medium length lensing (no close-ups inserted) which gives a flat affect to the dynamics involved.Aside from these weaknesses, the film has a lot about it to commend. All the interiors of church activities are impressively staged and photographed in beautiful WideScreen photography. The performances around Tryon range from good to excellent, including John Huston, Carol Lynley, Bill Hayes, John Saxon and Burgess Meredith. Huston is particularly commanding as the brusque Cardinal Glennon, who confronts Tryon with: "You're not afraid of me, are you?" when the young man speaks his mind.All of the technical aspects of the film are professional, giving the story more credibility than it deserves from a rather lumbering script. The icing on the cake is the rich musical score by Jerome Moross.Holds the interest despite the length as it deals with a young man confronting bigotry, Naziism, and his own personal beliefs as he ascends the ladder of success in the Catholic Church.

The stiffness in the telling marks the destiny of this confused tale. At times is quite simply, unendurable. The wooden rigidity of Tom Tryon makes things even harder to take. Unconvincing should be the polite way of putting it. Preminger shows an eye for the travelogue part but a total diffidence in the subject at hand. No feel for it at all. Solemnity shouldn't be the way but it is and a rather phony solemnity at that. At times, they all behave like creatures from another planet and nothing they say or do sounds or looks credible. The over long saga is told in little disjointed episodes, the only thing that remains constant is the inexpressive brow of Mr Tryon. Most of Otto Preminger's opus looks terribly dated now. "The Cardinal" is, perhaps, the most dated. Carol Linley goes from saintly sister to exotic dancer in one single throw and Romy Schnaider has a brief and calculated moment. If I had to save something it would be the scene in which John Huston goes to visit his dying friend Burgess Meredith. But those kind of moments are rare. For some reason that I haven't been able to figure out there is a long musical number by Robert Morse, but as absurd as it was, it came as a welcome change from the agonizing pace the film suffers through its interminable length.